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Offensive Team Names

I saw that Chiefs new main sponsor is an unbuilt industrial park in Exeter that is owned by their owner

Find it hard to believe they couldn't attract a better one considering the size of the companies sponsoring some of the other teams in the prem

Gotta be related to this, surely?
Unless their top earners are gonna get lucrative part time jobs building this industrial park
 
I saw that Chiefs new main sponsor is an unbuilt industrial park in Exeter that is owned by their owner

Find it hard to believe they couldn't attract a better one considering the size of the companies sponsoring some of the other teams in the prem

Gotta be related to this, surely?
Unless their top earners are gonna get lucrative part time jobs building this industrial park
Ahh, but they're very proud of the fact that the owner of the new title sponsor is already happy with Chief's branding and mascots etc.
They actually boasted about that.
 
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This is going to be 5-6 years of them rabidly holding onto it then quietly dropping it slowly right? Or one great big performance piece of we "finally" listened.
 
I think in this day and age we should not be wasting lots of water so Bath is now offensive. I propose they change their name to shower. It would also allow accurate jokes about the performance of the team...
 

Club Statement: Faux Native American Headdresses


Date: 12 Oct 2021

The Club was recently asked by one of our supporter groups to review the wearing of faux Native American headdresses and other cultural signifiers at our stadium. We have found it difficult to know how best to deal with this issue, which is why we have taken time to consult those more knowledgeable about this subject, including a number of external stakeholders and members of the Native American community.
Wasps made a commitment to put equality, diversity and inclusion at the heart of what we do. This Club, and the wider rugby community, is at its best when every person involved in the game feels respected, included, and supported.
Recent events such as the Black Lives Matter movement, the continued racist abuse aimed at high profile sports stars and rising intolerance towards LGBTQ+ people have made it clear that diversity and inclusion are not just political issues, they are human ones.
We know that engaging in dialogue and being prepared to voice an opinion will sometimes be uncomfortable, difficult and may not always be popular. Having the conversation though and being willing to listen, question, reflect and learn, is how we move forward and hold ourselves to account.
Many topics and behaviours which were once tolerated, such as cultural appropriation, are no longer acceptable. Just because something isn't offensive to you, doesn't mean it isn't offensive. Even though we do not want to create a professionally offended society, we do need to recognise that times and opinions change.
Since 2020, several sports teams around the world have recognised that the appropriation of another culture is something they can no longer justify. Last year there was a public focus on the prominent use of appropriated names and iconography by professional franchises including the Washington Football Team (formerly known as the 'Redskins' until July 2020) and in Canada, the Edmonton Eskimos have become the Edmonton Elks.
Respect for all cultures is a crucial part of including everyone in this amazing game. We at Wasps believe that cultural appropriation, "the act of taking or using things from a culture that is not your own, especially without showing that you understand or respect this culture" and, therefore, the wearing of faux Native American headdresses has the potential to cause offence and doesn't align with our values.
However, having taken counsel on this issue, it is clear that to drive real change we need a sport wide position to be reached. We have, therefore, approached Premiership Rugby, the RFU and the RFU's newly formed Diversity and Inclusion working group to ask that this issue is formally addressed.
At this current time, we will not be issuing an arena wide ban on the wearing of faux Native American attire, as one club acting in isolation has the potential to cause further division and uncertainty. However, we do not support the wearing of such items, discourage supporters from wearing them and will be revisiting this decision in due course.
Wasps want to be part of positive Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity change, and will continue to encourage the entire rugby community to take action against inequality and other forms of discrimination. We are committed to doing more to tackle racism and to championing diversity in sport.
 
It's such a weird hill to die on for Exeter. Who feels that strongly there to keep the native American branding?
 
Well played to whoever wrote that statement and the decision makers at Wasps over this. I just hope their discussions with the RFU are genuine and not just lip service.
 
It's such a weird hill to die on for Exeter. Who feels that strongly there to keep the native American branding?
Its massively integrated with their marketing and identity as a club. I honestly don't know of a equivalent in UK sport. What I don't understand is their refusal to sensibly engage and doubling down.
 
It's going to cost them money to change all the branding and marketing but surely it will not cost them fans?
Admittingly I'm not a Exeter fan but I can't see them being rather aggrieved if they removed the native American stuff.
 
It's going to cost them money to change all the branding and marketing but surely it will not cost them fans?
Admittingly I'm not a Exeter fan but I can't see them being rather aggrieved if they removed the native American stuff.
You only have to look at milder reactions on this thread and booing at England football games to know there is a certain section of fans that will react badly to it. Especially in the Westcountry where its a bastion of that kind of nonsense mainly because it isn't a very diverse place to live.

Mix a large proportion of Exeter fans aren't lifers unless they are very local they've only been a top club for 11 years. Before that you were more likely to find Cornish Pirates or just straight up County Cornwall fans than Exeter ones.

But yeah whilst it might cost them short term there is only one way this is ending just a matter of when not if.
 
You only have to look at milder reactions on this thread and booing at England football games to know there is a certain section of fans that will react badly to it. Especially in the Westcountry where its a bastion of that kind of nonsense mainly because it isn't a very diverse place to live.

Mix a large proportion of Exeter fans aren't lifers unless they are very local they've only been a top club for 11 years. Before that you were more likely to find Cornish Pirates or just straight up County Cornwall fans than Exeter ones.

But yeah whilst it might cost them short term there is only one way this is ending just a matter of when not if.
Sadly I think your probably right..... Perhaps I think too much of the UK lol
 
It's such a weird hill to die on for Exeter. Who feels that strongly there to keep the native American branding?
I don't think that it's anything to do with hostility towards native Americans, the way I see it, it's about gammons' distaste for being told what to do, no matter how reasonable the request.

On a pure business level, the lack of acumen is astounding. Rather than accepting the inevitable, biting the bullet and making it into a PR win, why would anyone choose to stick two fingers up at their "everyone's second team" status and put off as many sponsors as possible by burying their heads in the sand?
 
I was going to suggest Druids as they are part of Celt culture but my team's 2nd team is called The Druids and we don't want people making the easy mistake of mixing up a professional English side and a 2nd side of a div 3 Welsh team.
 

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